In Washington, common wisdom holds that the NRA’s approval is make-or-break for political candidates. The group does deserve credit where credit is due: They are persistent in their messaging, have outlined a clear system of threats and rewards for politicians, and have a group of NRA members who are exceedingly active when it comes to lobbying their elected officials.

But we believe the NRA's power has been vastly exaggerated over the years, a myth propagated by the group and bought in full by the mainstream media. We have commissioned a study from Douglas E. Schoen, LLC and James Farwell to answer the question: What is the actual influence of the NRA on the outcome of elections?

We believe the report will present a compelling argument that the NRA’s reputation as an all-powerful, unstoppable force with deep pockets and near-unlimited spending power may indeed be one of the biggest misperceptions in American politics.

Over the summer, we’ll be releasing new facts from the report every week or so. Sign up to receive the facts as they are released, then read (and share) the fact above.